Advice. UK vs USA

[exousia]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

I am interested in studying abroad in UK in pharmacy but needed opinions so I can decide for myself. UK has a 5 year pharmacy program while US has a 6 year program. I plan on coming back to the US to work.
Is the vigorous of the courses the same? I will have to take the Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination along with the NAPLEX and MPJE and was wondering if that would be hard? Would going to UofM and then partaking in their studying abroad seminars/programs be better? What would you do?
I just dont want to end up failing some of the required tests to become a registered pharmacist due to recieving poorer teaching/education quality from another university.
-thanks.

 

[roytse]

If i remember correctly, correct me if I'm wrong, the degree that UK pharmacy schools give out are Bpharm (bachelor of pharmacy), while one needs a PharmD to be able to work as a pharmacist in US. But i'm not sure what's the differences between the two degrees, you have to look into that really carefully before you decide..

 

[alenadoma]

If i remember correctly, correct me if I'm wrong, the degree that UK pharmacy schools give out are Bpharm (bachelor of pharmacy), while one needs a PharmD to be able to work as a pharmacist in US. But i'm not sure what's the differences between the two degrees, you have to look into that really carefully before you decide..

They receive the Mpharm - it's basically like what the pharmacy degree used to be here before Pharm.D came around. I'm not positive as to what the requirements are when coming from the UK to the US.

 

[roytse]

oic...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Pharmacy
they used to give out Bpharm, they no longer do that..

 

[exousia]

The degree can be converted, that's where the Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination along with the NAPLEX and MPJE come in. I got a checklist from the MN Board of Pharmacy.
In order for a Foreign Pharmacy Graduate to become licensed in the State of Minnesota they must accomplish the following steps:

1. Pass the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination and become certified by the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Commission. To obtain information about this examination, please contact the FPGEC at 1600 Feehanville Drive, Mount Prospect, IL 60056 or call 1-847-391-4406.

2. Once you have become certified by the FPGEC you should send us a copy of your certification papers and request an internship registration form if you are planning on doing your internship in the state of Minnesota. We will mail an intern registration form to you once we have verified your certification.

3. Obtain 1,600 hours of internship after becoming certified. If you obtain your internship in Minnesota, you must complete our internship forms and the internship manual. If you obtain your internship outside of Minnesota, you must have the state in which you obtained your internship certify that information to us.

4. You must complete the board eligibility application and submit it to the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy with the appropriate fee, along with all supporting documentation that is required.

5. You must complete the applications for the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) and Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE) and mail them to NABP along with the appropriate fee. (Please follow the instructions in the booklet you can obtain from their web site at www.nabp.net.

6. You must pass the NAPLEX and MPJE.

7. You need to have a Social Security Number prior to receiving your grade from the NAPLEX and MPJE and prior to paying your Original Licensure Fee.

8. You must pay the Board of Pharmacy the required Original Licensure Fee.

9. You may begin working as a pharmacist.

Wondering how much longer it'll take me to start working than if I would have stayed and got my degree in the US. Also still wondering if I'll receive the same education quality.

 

[fenixtnlfan]

There's a pharm licensure board here. There might be some info on there that will help you decide how hard the FPGEC would be. Basically you are looking at it taking about the same amount of time, since that 1600 hours of internship would be approximately a year. It's really hard to say the education quality because no one goes through both programs and you can't compare. However, I would expect it to be comparable because the US accepts the UK pharm degree, which is not something they do for every country. There will be a bit of a learning curve coming back since pharmacy is set up different in the UK and differences in drugs and laws.

One thing you will probably want to really consider is if you are comfortable with living in the UK for five years. I lived there for three months and I was very ready to come back. I started missing certain things that I grew up with that aren't the norm in the UK. Don't get me wrong, I loved it there but I don't think I could make it 5 years! Only you know what you would be comfortable with and willing to change so just consider everything because moving to the UK is quite a committment.

 

[bananaface]

You might contact NABP to see if you can sit for the NAPLEX with a 5 year foreign degree. I believe a foreign degree is not considered a "doctorate" level equivalent unless you have 6 years of classes since the US degree is 2+4 or 2+ 3 accelerated years. If the degree is a bachelor's equivalent, it's not going to get you US licensed.

That's an issue that some Canadian trained pharmacists have when they attend a non-PharmD program. Anyone with a bachelor's equivalent who is already licensedis grandfathered in. But, those with new bachelor's degrees or the equivalent aren't able to become licensed for the first time.

Also, the drugs go by different names overseas. If you ultimately plan on practicing here and have the opportunity to go to school here, you ought to just go to school here. Licensure exams aside, you will be better equipped to work as a pharmacist in the US if your degree is geared towards training you to work in the US.